Prestigious victory for Jessica Pegula in Montreal. The American defeated Iga Swiatek on Saturday night, (6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4) in the semifinals of the Canada Open. In great difficulty on her serve throughout the match, the world No. 1 broke down in the last set, losing four games in a row to bow out. It was Swiatek’s first loss since Wimbledon, where she was beaten in the quarter-finals by Elina Svitolina.
Thanks to this success, Jessica Pegula has qualified for the tournament final, her first Masters 1000 final since Guadalajara (Mexico) in 2022. There she will face Elena Rybakina or Liudmila Samsonova, who meet at midnight.
Swiatek struggling on serve
If she broke Pegula in the first game of the match, Iga Swiatek had a very complicated start to the game. The Pole saw her opponent unbreak, managed to break again and then collapsed. In great difficulty on her serve, she lost five games in a row, losing the first set (6-2) without having won a single game of service.
Better in the second round, Iga Swiatek pushed Pegula to the tie-break. Able to score her only ace of the match in this one, she gave herself some respite by winning the second set on her first attempt (7-6 (4)), after having completely reversed the score (from 2-4 to 7-4).
Finally launched, the world No. 1 returned perfectly in the last round, breaking her opponent then inflicting a shutout. Jostled, Jessica Pegula was able to respond immediately, with, in turn, a white game, then by unbreaking. The scenario repeated itself to bring the score to 4-4, before Iga Swiatek cracked. Still broken, the Pole did not hold on Pegula’s serve, ending the game with an unforced error on the American’s first match point.
